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Ex-Red Sox hurler also won World Series with Yankees
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BY SCOTT WALSH
STAFF WRITER
Most people know that Mike Torrez served up the three-run home run to Bucky Dent in the famous one-game playoff between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to decide the American League East Division title on Oct. 2, 1978.
What many forget is that Torrez was the winning pitcher for the Yankees in the clinching Game 6 of the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He even caught the final out when pinch-hitter Lee Lacy popped up a bunt attempt.
In fact, if not for Torrez, the Yankees might not have won the championship in 1977.
After starting that season 3-1 with the Oakland A’s, the righthander was acquired in a trade on April 27, 1977, for Dock Ellis, Marty Perez and Larry Murray. Torrez went 14-12 the rest of the way, helping the Yankees win the division and advance to the American League Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals.
With the best-of-5 series tied at 2, the Royals jumped out to a 3-1 lead in Game 5 against Yankees starter Ron Guidry. Torrez relieved and pitched 5⅓ scoreless innings, allowing three hits, three walks and striking out four. The Yankees rallied to score one run in the eighth and three in the ninth to win the game and the series, 5-3.
“If I don’t pitch the way I did when I came in relief for Ron Guidry and hold Kansas City scoreless until we were able to pick away, we would have never won that game and been in the World Series,” said Torrez, who will be at PNC Field on Aug. 16 to participate in the Legends Reunion. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Times-Tribune newspapers and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, is a five-inning exhibition baseball game pitting Torrez and other former Red Sox against a team of ex-Yankees.
That playoff game is one of the highlights of Torrez’s 18-year major-league career. He said another is when he won 20 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1975. Another is his 37 consecutive scoreless innings streak in 1976 with the A’s, a team record that still stands.
Yet it is the home run Torrez gave up to Dent people remember most. That does not bother him.
“It’s unbelievable of all the thousands and thousands of people through the years who remember where they were for that particular game,” Torrez said. “They were coming home from work or they were there with their kids or they were having dinner.
The stories are unbelievable of where they were on Oct. 2, 1978.
“That’s what’s great about this game. People remember certain things about where they were and what they were doing. Baseball stays with you.”
Just over a month after helping the Yankees win the World Series in 1977, Torrez signed as a free agent with the Red Sox. He went 16-13 with a 3.96 earned-run average to help Boston finish the regular season 99-63 and wind up tied for first place in the A.L. East with the Yankees.
Manager Don Zimmer gave the ball to Torrez to start the playoff game at Fenway Park, and, for the first six innings, he held the Yankees to no runs and two hits as the Red Sox built a 2-0 lead.
But with one out in the seventh, Chris Chambliss and Roy White hit consecutive singles. Pinch-hitter Jim Spencer flied out, but Dent hit a 1-2 pitch into the screen above the Green Monster in left field. After Torrez walked Mickey Rivers, he was relieved by Bob Stanley. The Yankees wound up winning the game, 5-4, and eventually beat the Dodgers to win the World Series.
“To end in a tie in the ’78 season shows you how good those teams were,” Torrez said. “Even though they went on win the World Series, I thought that if we beat them, we’d have won the World Series. That playoff game was like the World Series.
“It was such a great game.”
Torrez spent four more seasons with the Red Sox before being traded in January 1983 to the New York Mets. He played one-plus season with the Mets before being released in June 1984. He signed with the A’s, but appeared in just two games. His final game came on July 27, 1984. He finished with a record of 185-160 with a 3.96 ERA.
Today, the 61-year-old Torrez owns an advertising business in White Plains, N.Y. He appears at autograph shows and does clinics and fantasy camps for the Yankees. He is looking forward to playing in the Legends Reunion.
“It should be fun and interesting,” he said. “Hopefully, the fans will come out. We’ll have some fun, sign some autographs and mingle with the people. That’s what it’s all about now.”
Contact the writer: swalsh@timesshamrock.com
What many forget is that Torrez was the winning pitcher for the Yankees in the clinching Game 6 of the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He even caught the final out when pinch-hitter Lee Lacy popped up a bunt attempt.
In fact, if not for Torrez, the Yankees might not have won the championship in 1977.
After starting that season 3-1 with the Oakland A’s, the righthander was acquired in a trade on April 27, 1977, for Dock Ellis, Marty Perez and Larry Murray. Torrez went 14-12 the rest of the way, helping the Yankees win the division and advance to the American League Championship Series against the Kansas City Royals.
With the best-of-5 series tied at 2, the Royals jumped out to a 3-1 lead in Game 5 against Yankees starter Ron Guidry. Torrez relieved and pitched 5⅓ scoreless innings, allowing three hits, three walks and striking out four. The Yankees rallied to score one run in the eighth and three in the ninth to win the game and the series, 5-3.
“If I don’t pitch the way I did when I came in relief for Ron Guidry and hold Kansas City scoreless until we were able to pick away, we would have never won that game and been in the World Series,” said Torrez, who will be at PNC Field on Aug. 16 to participate in the Legends Reunion. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Times-Tribune newspapers and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, is a five-inning exhibition baseball game pitting Torrez and other former Red Sox against a team of ex-Yankees.
That playoff game is one of the highlights of Torrez’s 18-year major-league career. He said another is when he won 20 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1975. Another is his 37 consecutive scoreless innings streak in 1976 with the A’s, a team record that still stands.
Yet it is the home run Torrez gave up to Dent people remember most. That does not bother him.
“It’s unbelievable of all the thousands and thousands of people through the years who remember where they were for that particular game,” Torrez said. “They were coming home from work or they were there with their kids or they were having dinner.
The stories are unbelievable of where they were on Oct. 2, 1978.
“That’s what’s great about this game. People remember certain things about where they were and what they were doing. Baseball stays with you.”
Just over a month after helping the Yankees win the World Series in 1977, Torrez signed as a free agent with the Red Sox. He went 16-13 with a 3.96 earned-run average to help Boston finish the regular season 99-63 and wind up tied for first place in the A.L. East with the Yankees.
Manager Don Zimmer gave the ball to Torrez to start the playoff game at Fenway Park, and, for the first six innings, he held the Yankees to no runs and two hits as the Red Sox built a 2-0 lead.
But with one out in the seventh, Chris Chambliss and Roy White hit consecutive singles. Pinch-hitter Jim Spencer flied out, but Dent hit a 1-2 pitch into the screen above the Green Monster in left field. After Torrez walked Mickey Rivers, he was relieved by Bob Stanley. The Yankees wound up winning the game, 5-4, and eventually beat the Dodgers to win the World Series.
“To end in a tie in the ’78 season shows you how good those teams were,” Torrez said. “Even though they went on win the World Series, I thought that if we beat them, we’d have won the World Series. That playoff game was like the World Series.
“It was such a great game.”
Torrez spent four more seasons with the Red Sox before being traded in January 1983 to the New York Mets. He played one-plus season with the Mets before being released in June 1984. He signed with the A’s, but appeared in just two games. His final game came on July 27, 1984. He finished with a record of 185-160 with a 3.96 ERA.
Today, the 61-year-old Torrez owns an advertising business in White Plains, N.Y. He appears at autograph shows and does clinics and fantasy camps for the Yankees. He is looking forward to playing in the Legends Reunion.
“It should be fun and interesting,” he said. “Hopefully, the fans will come out. We’ll have some fun, sign some autographs and mingle with the people. That’s what it’s all about now.”
Contact the writer: swalsh@timesshamrock.com
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